Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Raises Position in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 23.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,240 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,285 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $2,218,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Legacy Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

Alliant Energy Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Alliant Energy stock opened at $49.89 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.78 billion, a PE ratio of 17.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.55. Alliant Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $45.15 and a 52-week high of $56.26. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.51.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.07). Alliant Energy had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 10.85%. The company had revenue of $961.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.85%. Alliant Energy’s payout ratio is 69.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LNT shares. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Scotiabank cut their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $53.00 price objective (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alliant Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $51.36.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Lisa M. Barton acquired 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $48.56 per share, with a total value of $53,416.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,769,720.64. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Alliant Energy Profile

Alliant Energy Corporation operates as a utility holding company that provides regulated electricity and natural gas services in the United States. It operates in three segments: Utility Electric Operations, Utility Gas Operations, and Utility Other. The company, through its subsidiary, Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), primarily generates and distributes electricity, and distributes and transports natural gas to retail customers in Iowa; sells electricity to wholesale customers in Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa; and generates and distributes steam in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.